Robert Mueller is a real investigator with a solid reputation and a track record to match. We should all be encouraged by his appearance at this stage. But investigations will not solve the problems unless we have other officials who are willing to act.

At this point, there is little doubt that the administration is incompetent, misinformed, uneducated, and misdirected by self-interests, business opportunities, and other self-serving distractions. Responsible men and women have to be vigilant and careful to do what they can to curtail the mendacity bearing down on America, vigilant to spot the damage being done, and careful to avoid being targeted by operatives out to destroy the protections that Americans have enjoyed for decades. We need to protect ourselves from the kleptocracy and the plutocrats who are intent on eliminating our ability to keep our environment clean, our workforce productive, and our children well-educated and healthy. These are not trifling matters. They are essential to a way of life that we need to defend and improve.

To defend ourselves, we need good public servants, like Robert Mueller, and we need to exercise the powers that we have inherent in our own citizenship. We must become good stewards of our country's ideals and promises. For that, we need to remind ourselves of what those ideals are, what promises we have made to one another, and what kind of country we want our children to inherit. The models of Russia and Turkey are not what we should aspire to become. We are better than that, and we deserve better than that.

We need to articulate that vision for the election in 2018, so that the people we choose to lead us forward understand it and will pursue it.

When we look at the struggles people have had to make America what it is, we have to remind ourselves of the sacrifices and dedication it took for us to enjoy the benefits of their labors. Our generation must draw inspiration from that to keep us on the right path, so that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past.